Suppose you’re looking for one car that’ll do it all. Slip into compact spaces with ease. Accelerate and handle with grace.

• 7 Speed Dsg Gearbox Problems
• Vw Mk6 Golf
• Vw Gti Mk6

Fit four adults and their luggage in a well-appointed interior with little apparent cost-cutting. Command the road at highway speeds. Let’s throw in 30 MPG fuel economy for good measure.Now suppose you’re looking to spend $15k or so, and the cheaper the better.If you’re thinking about new cars, don’t waste your time. Even the cheapest new car on the lot will likely surpass the $15k threshold, and the only boxes it’ll check are the ones pertaining to parking and fuel economy.But for the same money or quite possibly far less, you could have a sixth-generation (Mk6) Volkswagen Golf. Step up to the 200-horsepower GTI version if you’re feeling frisky; it’s in your price range too. As the final Golf built in Germany before VW shifted to a more global (read: cost-conscious) product strategy, the Mk6 arguably represents the pinnacle of Volkswagen’s small-car engineering.Thanks to the magic of depreciation, a gently used specimen can now be yours for pennies (okay, quarters) on the dollar, promising years of delightful motoring with hardly any age-related drawbacks.A note about our “practical” buying guides.

These are not collector car guides. (There are already plenty of other excellent sources for that.) Rather, our guides recommend cars that we think make for entertaining, interesting, reliable, and value-oriented buys — cars meant to be driven and enjoyed (not stashed away in a vault for investment purposes) and that don’t cost a fortune to acquire or maintain. Klipnik RecommendsAvailable with either two or four doors, the Mk6 Golf hatchback was not a particularly long-lived model, covering a spread of five years (2010-2014) from start to finish. Our primary recommendation is to buy the newest example you can afford.That’s because Volkswagen made some key improvements to the Mk6 over time; for instance, the GTI’s turbocharged engine initially had a tendency to wear out water pumps, which led to a recall for 2011 and earlier versions. Owners report that the post-recall years (2012-2014) are safer bets thanks to revisions in the part’s design.In terms of features and options, the Mk6 Golf didn’t change a whole lot during its run — perhaps the most notable alteration was the removal of the two-door variant for 2014 — so your task is simply to find the newest and best-maintained car at a reasonable price.Notably, we cannot wholeheartedly recommend the diesel version, which was known as the Golf TDI and got caught up in the “Dieselgate” emissions scandal. That’s a shame, because the Mk6 TDI was great fun to drive and astonishingly fuel-efficient. However, VW’s “fix” for making the TDI engine emissions compliant involves modifications that, while fairly insignificant to overall performance, are still unproven in terms of the long-term reliability of these cars.

7 Speed Dsg Gearbox Problems

Editor’s note: please see our revised stance on the TDI in this.Fortunately, the GTI is even more fun and also delivers plenty of MPGs, while the standard five-cylinder Golf offers a remarkable level of quality and refinement for an entry-level car.What’s Under the Hood?Leaving aside the TDI means there are only two engine choices left: the Golf’s 2.5-liter five-cylinder or the GTI’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder.Naturally, the GTI gets most of the attention here, but the funky five-banger has a lot going for it. There’s plenty of punch, for one thing. Rated at 170 horsepower and about the same amount of torque, the 2.5 matches or exceeds the output of most compact-car engines today, even though it was introduced well over a decade ago. Notably smoother than most four-bangers, the five-pot also hums a distinctive baritone tune during acceleration. Meanwhile, there are plenty of out there about its reliability, which might surprise some shoppers.Fuel economy is a minor sore spot, but that’s only in comparison to other economy-car engines of the day, which tended to be considerably less powerful.

Rated at around 30 MPG highway, the five-cylinder Golf is frugal enough to satisfy most drivers, and like many German cars, it can squeeze out an extra MPG or two on a long 70-mph cruise.Note that the five-speed manual transmission was discontinued for 2014, so if you want to shift your own gears with the 2.5, you’ll need to go 2013 or older. The mainstream alternative is a refined six-speed automatic, which pairs nicely with the torque-rich five-cylinder.

We certainly wouldn’t discourage you from seeking out a manual; just know that the five-cylinder is a relaxed power plant that doesn’t exactly entice you to wring it out from shift to shift.As for the GTI’s direct-injected 2.0-liter turbo four (200 hp, 207 lb-ft), it’s nothing short of a masterpiece in the genre. Eager to rev and virtually lag-free, with exceptional smoothness and a juicy soundtrack to boot, the “2.0T” is essentially a luxury-grade performance engine. Few if any other engines come close to its excellence at today’s Mk6 GTI prices, and even the significantly torquier turbo four in the Mk7 GTI can’t match the quick, linear response of the Mk6 lump. As with the five-cylinder, fuel economy in the low 30s on a road trip is easily gettable, so the efficiency’s there, too.The GTI offers VW’s excellent “DSG” dual-clutch automated manual transmission, renowned for its instantaneous upshifts and impeccable rev-matched downshifts. On the other hand, DSG service costs will inevitably be higher than those for the six-speed conventional manual transmission, a joyful unit that’s one of the best you’ll find in any car. Special VariantsThe GTI comes standard with the iconic “Tartan” plaid upholstery, but two higher-priced trim levels offer leather seats: the Driver’s Edition (introduced in 2013) and the Autobahn. The Mk6 arguably represents the pinnacle ofVolkswagen’s small-car engineering.As the owner of a mk7 GTI and a mk6 Golf Variant (AKA Jetta Sportwagen), that’s a ridiculous statement.

The mk7 is light years ahead. The mk6 is often considered a heavily facelifted or modestly upgraded mk5, and cars have come a long way since the 2003 intro of the mk5.VW’s “fix” for the TDI engine (is) unproven interms of the long-term reliability The TDI is worth a look. 1st Gen diesels got an upgraded catalyst, software update, and special warranty. The update primarily more frequently “regenerates” the diesel particulate filter (DPF).

Most people think that’s not a big deal.Having said that, the TDI never made economic sense in the USA and still doesn’t, but it is appealing in its own way, and many TDI cars came with better equipment. For example, the TDI wagon has a 6 speed stick vs. A 5 for the “gasser.”The Jetta Sportwagen is worth a look if you need the space.

It’s a hybrid design, with an mk5 body forward of the doors and an mk5 suspension (an advantage over the mk6 Jetta Sedan since cost reduction eliminated the independent rear suspension). Otherwise, the Sportwagen is just a Golf with more room, a fact reflected by VW calling it a Golf in Europe and Canada. Thanks for engaging with us, we appreciate you.

The full sentence for your first quote reads as follows:As the final Golf built in Germany before VW shifted to a more global (read: cost-conscious) product strategy, the Mk6 arguably represents the pinnacle of Volkswagen’s small-car engineering.Do you disagree, then, that the Mk7 is part of a more global and cost-conscious product strategy? Have you not noticed any cost-cutting in your Mk7 GTI relative to the Mk6?More generally, you are certainly right that “cars have come a long way since the 2003 intro of the mk5,” but it doesn’t follow that today’s models are necessarily better.

Vw Mk6 Golf

For example, the Mk7 GTI has more turbo lag than the Mk6 GTI and also significantly taller gearing, resulting in a less alert and energetic feel. One could argue that feeling alert and energetic is a core GTI value, so moving away from it has made for a worse-driving GTI. If you’re looking for the most capable infotainment system, of course, the Mk7 will take that round.-MK.

Rokblokz VW Golf Mk6 rally mud flaps are CNC laser cut from a proprietary material specifically designed to endure the harshest environments.The unique blend of polymers in our mud flaps give them the specific characteristics that make them highly effective at protecting your VW.Specifically the combination of extreme durability, flexibility, light weight, and rigidity that all come together to allow the flaps to extend out from the fender's edge enough to be effective. That allow them to hold their shape at speed and block the most damaging kind of tire spray. That allow them to bend, flex, give, and even scrape and drag without breakage. Rokblokz VW Golf Mk6 rally mud flaps are CNC laser cut from a proprietary material specifically designed to endure the harshest environments.The unique blend of polymers in our mud flaps give them the specific characteristics that make them highly effective at protecting your VW.Specifically the combination of extreme durability, flexibility, light weight, and rigidity that all come together to allow the flaps to extend out from the fender's edge enough to be effective.

Vw Gti Mk6

That allow them to hold their shape at speed and block the most damaging kind of tire spray. That allow them to bend, flex, give, and even scrape and drag without breakage.